


POWs (3/3)

by fangirlfiction



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Civil War (Marvel), F/M, Marvel Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 09:11:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13737696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlfiction/pseuds/fangirlfiction
Summary: 2 years after they learn that Bucky Barnes is alive, y/n and Steve Rogers are desperately searching for their old friend, eager to have him back in their lives. But when a plot to frame Bucky emerges amongst an already tense atmosphere between the Avengers, loyalties will be tested with dangerous consequences. The events of Captain America: Civil War told through the eyes of the reader.Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader, Steve!friendship x reader, Stucky!friendshipWarnings: mild cursing, mentions of war and death





	POWs (3/3)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! So, here it is, part 3 of 3! I hope you’ve all enjoyed this story. I really enjoyed writing it, and depending on the plot of the future Marvel films, there might be more to come! As always, let me know what you think, and enjoy!  
> 

The sun shined down on your back warmly while a breeze lightly rustled your hair. The streets around you were bustling, people and cars flying past in a hurry. You looked across the table at Nat, who was pretending to sip from the coffee in her hand. You raised your cup to do the same. Wanda was a few tables over, evaluating the police station nearby. You knew Steve was watching all of you from a window, while also surveying the area around all of you.

Steve’s voice spoke up in your ear, “Alright, what do you see?”

“Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It’s a good target.” Wanda answers.

“There’s an ATM on the south corner which means?” Steve questions.

“Cameras.” She responds confidently.

“Both crosstreets are one way.” Steve states, matter of fact.

Wanda replies, “So, compromised escape routes.” You nod slightly at her answers, pleased that she’s catching on quickly.

Steve continues his line of questioning. “Means our guy doesn’t care about being seen. He isn’t afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?”

“Yeah, the red one? It’s cute.”

Nat responds before Steve can say anything. “It’s also bulletproof which means private security which means more guns which means more headaches for somebody, probably us.”

Wanda replies, cup raised to her lips. “You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?”

“Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature.” Nat says, and you glare at her, mouthing at her to “go easy”.

Sam, chimes in from somewhere nearby, “Anybody ever tell you you’re a little paranoid?”

You smirk at his response, agreeing with him internally. Nat answers him, “Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?”

“Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we’ve had on Rumlow in six months. I don’t want to lose him.” Steve states, and you can sense his anxiousness from where you are. Steve became laser focused during missions, but the rest of the team liked to lighten the mood sometimes.

You chime in this time, “If he sees us coming that won’t be a problem. He kinda hates us.”

“Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it,” says Steve, ignoring your response.

There’s silence from Sam until you hear him mutter, “Give me x-ray.” The silence continues while he checks out the garbage truck until he says, "That truck's loaded for max weight. And the driver’s armed.”

Realization dawns on you quickly, “It’s a battering ram.”

Steve doesn’t hesitate with his command. “Go now.”

“Why?” asks Wanda, clearly confused.

“He’s not hitting the police.” Steve answers, the sound of him running evident in his reply.

You jump up and run over to Nat’s waiting motorcycle, hopping on quickly. Nat takes off as soon as you are seated, weaving in and out of traffic. Steve arrives first and he briefs you all, “Body armor. AR15s. I make 7 hostiles.”

There’s a pause before Sam replies, “I make 5.” Nat speeds up at the sound of the radio chatter, eager to fight. Sam's voice speaks up again, “4.”

You look ahead to the target building as it nears closer, a beige gas swirling around outside it. Your hands tighten at Nat’s sides, and you prepare yourself for a fight as the sound of gunshot reaches your ears. Suddenly Steve chimes in on the radio, “Rumlow has a biological weapon.”

“We’re on it,” you reply, jumping from the motorcycle seconds before Nat crashes it into an oncoming guard. You run towards the group of guards, smashing your elbow into the first man’s face. You spin around and kick the guard behind you, causing him to double over in pain. You grab his face and pull it to your knee, before dropping him and turning to the advancing guards. You punch the guard closest to you and start to punch him again when a kick to your ribs causes you to pause with a grunt. You turn to the guard who kicked you and lunge at him, knocking him to the ground and cracking his helmeted head against the pavement. You sensed the other guard approaching behind you and rolled off of his friend, pulling your gun from your holster as you do. You fire a shot at his knee, causing him to quickly drop and allowing you to swipe the gun from his hands. You turn just in time to see Rumlow in his suit, dragging Nat over the hood of an armored vehicle.

“Nat!” you yell out, running towards them as Rumlow drops a grenade inside of the truck and closes the hatch. You launch yourself onto the hood of the car and punch him in the throat, followed by an elbow to the ribs. He seems unaffected from your hits so you pull out a knife and move towards him, managing to cut a part of his arm that wasn’t covered in armor. This only seems to anger him and he grabs you, flinging you off of the hood and into the other armored truck, your body landing heavily on the ground. Seconds later an explosion rings out, and you see Nat land on the ground, coughing.

He yells out, “Maybe next time!” before jumping into the other truck and firing a grenade at Steve. Steve blocks it with his shield, and Rumlow’s vehicle moves towards the exit, firing at Steve as he does. You see Steve burst from the window and fall to the ground before updating Sam on Rumlow’s location. You pull yourself up and you run to the motorcycle and jump on, Nat riding behind you this time. You speed through traffic like a madwoman, determined to reach Rumlow before he escapes.

“I’ve got 4, they’re splitting up,” informs Sam.

You push the motorcycle forward, wedging it between two taxis so you and Nat can easily jump off and run above the crowd. “I’ve got the two on the left,” replies Nat.

“And I’ve got the other two. Steve, go get Rumlow!” you exclaim into the radio. You hear an explosion nearby, but don’t have time to investigate because your eyes have zeroed in on one of the targets. You run up behind him and throw a knife into his back, dropping him to his knees. You come up behind him and search him, finding nothing. You kick his body over and look to see the other target turning to run. You jump up and chase after him, tackling him into the ground within seconds. He rolls over and raises his gun at you, but you kick it from his hands before knocking him unconscious. After a search of his pockets results in nothing you say, “I checked them both. Nothing.”

Steve replies first, panting slightly. “y/n, I could use a little help.”

“On it.” You answer, taking off running towards the area with the most commotion. You hear Nat confirm that she has the weapon as you are rounding the corner to help Steve. You see him and Rumlow fighting up ahead, and you push yourself faster when you see Steve get thrown into one of the wooden stalls. You come up behind Rumlow and use your body weight to slam into him, knocking him off balance. He turns to you and punches you, a bruise already forming on your jaw. You manage to elbow his helmet before he reaches out, grabbing you by the throat. You gasp for air as Rumlow’s hold tightens, gasping when Steve’s punch knocks him off of you. You bend over where he dropped you, savoring every breath that moves through your lungs.

You hear Steve grunt as he kicks Rumlow, sending Rumlow flying. Steve stalks over to him as Rumlow pulls off his mask, and you stand to join him. As you’re walking over Rumlow says, “You know, he knew you.” He turns to glance over his shoulder at your approaching form before saying, “Both of you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky.”

At the mention of Bucky’s name, you run over quickly, standing slightly behind Steve but ready to assist. “What did you say?” questions Steve as he pulls Rumlow closer to him.

“He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in the blender.” You lunged at Rumlow after hearing his response, only to be pushed back by Steve. Rumlow continued, “He wanted you both to know something. He said to me, ‘please tell rogers and y/n, when you gotta go, you gotta go.’” Rumlow’s expression changes to one of determined anger right before he says, “And you’re both coming with me.”

Your brain registers the grenade in his hand a split second before it goes off, and you close your eyes right before the explosion. When you don’t feel pain as Rumlow is screaming, you open your eyes and turn to see Wanda containing the explosion to just Rumlow, protecting both you and Steve. She sends his fiery body into the air, accidentally crashing it into a nearby building. The sound of screaming immediately fills your ears, and you turn to see Wanda looking at the building in anguish. You hear Steve call for medical services before running off, and you turn to grab Wanda, leading her after Steve.

You pull her into you, shielding her from the view of the building and leading her back to the ship. You all ride back to the Tower in silence, trying to comprehend what just occurred. Rumlow mentioning Bucky had shaken you to your core, especially since you, Sam, and Steve had been searching for him for two years, unsuccessfully. His time as the Winter Soldier had taught him too well and made him nearly impossible to find. It was honestly like he didn’t exist anymore, and the feeling of knowing that he was alive but not with you and Steve was painful to comprehend.

_You are supposed to be a trio._

. . .

King T’Chaka’s words were rattling round your mind when you left the living room moments ago, wandering down the hall to study some leads on Bucky. When you passed by Wanda’s room and heard her name in the news, you paused in the doorway. You sensed Steve’s arrival seconds later and he reached around you to turn off the TV. She turned towards you both, and you stepped into the room, joining her on the bed. Steve lingered near the doorway as Wanda said, “It’s my fault.”

You reach out and grab her hand, saying, “That’s not true.”

She looked at you and replied, “Turn the TV back on. They’re being very specific.”

You are about to answer, but Steve beats you to it. “I should’ve clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it. Rumlow said ‘Bucky’ and all of a sudden, I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn. And people died. It’s on me.”

You disagree, “No, it’s on both of us.”

Steve looks at you both before staring out into Wanda’s room. “This job.. we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody. But if we can’t find a way to live with that, then next time, maybe nobody gets saved.”

Before anyone can say anything, Vision appears through the wall. Wanda exclaims, “Vis! We talked about this.”

Vision replied, “Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that…” he trails off before continuing. “Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving.”

“Thank you, we’ll be right down.”

“I’ll use the door.” Vision replies, walking towards it. “Oh, and apparently, he’s brought a guest.”

Curious, you ask, “Do we know who it is?”

“The Secretary of State,” Vision answers as he turns to leave. You, Steve, and Wanda all look at each other wondering why he is here. You all descend the stairs to find the team already seated around a conference table. Slightly confused, you pull out a seat next to Steve and turn your attention to the Secretary of State, Ross.

“Five years ago, I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my back swing. Turned out it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective.” He looks around at all of you before continuing, “The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives. And while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who prefer the word ‘vigilantes’.”

You roll your eyes as Nat asks, “What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?”

“How about dangerous?” he asks, and you scoff. Rhodey shoots you a glare and the Secretary continues, “What would you call a group of US based enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

You sense Steve growing annoyed next to you, and you look at Sam and see annoyance on his face as well. Ross moves aside as a screen behind him comes to life and he mutters, “New York” as footage from the battle flashes on screen. Rhodey turns to look at you and Steve and you raise an eyebrow at him in response.

“Washington, DC,” states Ross as images of the helicarriers crashing appear onscreen. “Sokovia,” he continues as you are shown more footage. You look over at Wanda and see her eyes wide, and you feel anger for Ross flash through you. “Lagos,” finishes Ross, the images of dead bodies shown on the screen ahead.

You see Wanda look down at the table, upset, and you speak up. “Okay, that’s enough.”

Ross continues his speech, “For the last 4 years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” He produces a large book and hands it to Wanda. “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, you will operate under the supervision of the United Nations panel only when, and if, that panel deems it necessary.”

Unable to keep quiet any longer, Steve says, “The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that.”

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” questions Ross. “If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”

Rhodey looks up at Ross and asks, “So, there are contingencies?”

“3 days from now the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.” Ross replies as he begins to leave the room.

You interrupt him and ask, “And if we come to a decision you don’t like?”

“Then you retire,” he fires back. You raise an eyebrow at his response, convinced this man had lost his mind.

Ross leaves and you all move into one of the living rooms to debate the Accords and what you should do. Sam and Rhodey stood behind you in a heated debate, and you sat on the arm of Steve’s chair, reading the Accords over his shoulder.

“Secretary Ross has a Congressional medal of honor, which is one more than you have.”

Sam fires back, “So, let’s say we agree to this thing, how long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”

“117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you’re just like, ‘No, that’s cool. We got it.’”

“How long are you going to play both sides?” questions Sam, annoyance heavy in his voice.

Visions interrupts and says, “I have an equation.”

“Oh, this will clear it up,” says Sam.

Vision begins, “In the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period, the number of potentially world ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”

Steve looks up and asks, “Are you saying it’s our fault?”

“I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict, breeds catastrophe. Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.” states Vision.

Rhodey looks cocky as he says, “Boom.”

You roll your eyes and Nat says, “Tony.” You look over to see him removing his hand from his face and looking annoyed. “You’re being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.”

Steve replies before Tony can. “It’s because he’s already made up his mind.”

“Boy, you know me so well,” Tony says as he stands “Actually, I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache. That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort.” He pulls up a photo of a smiling young man and continues, “Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way. he’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor level gig planned at Intel for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia.”

Tony pauses to let the weight of his words sink in before he continues, “He wanted to make a difference I suppose. I mean, we won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary less, we’re no better than the bad guys.”

“Tony,” Steve interjects, “If someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up.”

“Who said we’re giving up?” Tony quickly questions.

“We are if we’re not taking responsibility of our actions,” answers Steve. “This document just shifts the blame.”

Rhodey butts in, “I’m sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not S.H.I.E.L.D, it’s not Hydra.”

Steve stopped him, “No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change.”

“That’s good. That’s why I’m here,” says Tony. “When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.”

“Tony, you chose to do that!” you exclaim, exasperated that he was so blinded by guilt. “If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose.”

Steve nods his head in agreement and asks. “What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there’s somewhere we need to go and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

Tony’s voice is softer when he replies, “If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s the fact. That won’t be pretty.”

“You’re saying they’ll come for me,” states Wanda, defeated.

“We would protect you,” replies Vision.

Nat speaks up, “Maybe Tony’s right. If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off…”

Sam interrupts her, shocked, “Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?”

“I’m just, reading the terrain,” she responds calmly. “We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.”

Tony looks at Nat in shock. “Focus up, I’m sorry. Did I just mishear you? Or did you agree with me?”

“I want to take it back now,” she deadpans.

“No, you can’t retract it.”

You are distracted by the buzzing of Steve’s phone. He pulls it out and reads a text, tilting it so that you can also read it. “ _she’s gone. In her sleep._ ” Your stomach sinks when you realize who it’s about. Steve stands up and mutters, “I have to go.”

You walk out after him and see him leaning against the railing, heartbreak all over his face. You swallow your tears, knowing that it’s your turn to be strong for Steve. You walk towards him and pull him into a fierce hug, reminding him that he’s not alone. He hugs you back desperately, as one of the last pieces of your former lives slips between both of your fingers.

. . .

You sat between Sam and Steve, tears sliding down your cheeks as you kept your head bowed in sorrow. Peggy had been the first female friend you ever truly had, considering most girls had only befriended you to get to Bucky. Her influence in your life was evident by your acts of espionage and your fighting style, and most notably by her sage advice. Peggy always knew what to say to you in times of need, and her advice often rattled around in your head. Your mind drifted to a memory from nearly 4 years ago when you and Steve had found Peggy again and visited her almost daily. She had been telling you about the moments of her life that you had missed, particularly about her children. You were happy that she got to live such a full life, but you couldn’t help but mourn the fact that you would never get to do the same with Bucky like you had planned.

Peggy seemed to notice your sorrow and asked, “Bucky?” You nodded sadly and she continued, “It’s not fair what happened to you, Steve, and Bucky. Out of everyone I’ve ever met, no one deserved happiness as much as you 3 do. Your loyalty to each other and dedication to others ended the war and stopped Hydra. My heart aches at the fact that Bucky was taken from you both, but he would want you to live your life. You and Steve were given a strange opportunity to start over, and Bucky would want you to do all the things you said you’d do together.”

You wiped the tears from your eyes and smiled at her. “You know, Bucky said something similar after my brother died.”

As soon as you left Peggy that afternoon you texted Steve to let him know you’d be gone for a few days, and then you turned off your phone. You told Bucky about your Aunt’s farm often growing up, but never told him why the memory meant so much to you. Still, he always promised that he’d take you back some day. You decided that today was as good of a day as any to return, and you rented a car to drive down to Georgia.

You drove down the dirt road slowly, slightly unsure of how far down your Aunt’s farm was. Your windows were down and the air was heavy, like a thunderstorm was rolling in. You glanced at the mailboxes as you drove on, finally recognizing one with a pink handprint painted on the side. You smiled as you turned down the long driveway, passing a for sale sign on the way in. You stop near the house, and get out of the car with sadness. It was obvious that the farm had been neglected since your Aunt’s death in the late 70s. You wandered the property, eventually ending up at the lake. You stood on the edge of the lake, the memory of honeysuckle on your tongue as thunder rang out above you. You looked up just as the skies opened, rain falling and soaking you instantly. You stood in the rain, face turned towards the sky and screamed out, anguish tearing you apart. You dropped to your knees in the mud of the bank and sobbed, heartbreak pouring from you like a faucet.

 _The skies cry for him too_. And the sudden thought yanks you from your anguish and clears your mind. You stand up and run back to the car quickly, turning on the heat and pulling your cellphone from the glovebox. You power it on, ignoring the missed calls and texts from a worried Steve and you call Fury.

“I need a favor,” you say. “and I’m willing to work for it.”

Within the hour, the farm is yours. Secured by Fury and given to you on the condition that you don’t drop off the grid again before telling someone where you’re going. You go inside and sleep in the old house that night, and begin a week of hard work the next morning. Upon your return to DC the following Wednesday, the farm is back in running condition and ready for livestock. Within the month, you have a caretaker named Hal move in and care for the property and the recently purchased livestock. You return as often as you can to check on the farm, but after you discovered that Bucky is alive, you stopped going. You won’t go back without him.

You’re pulled from your thoughts by Sam nudging you. You look up at him and he nods to the podium where Steve’s former neighbor is standing. You realize that the priest referred to her as Sharon Carter and you nudge Steve to get his attention as well. He looks at her in shock and Sharon looks at both of you before exhaling and beginning, “Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD, but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy.”

You hear Steve inhale sharply beside you, and Sam looks at you both with concern. “She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But, it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related. I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. She said compromise where you can. But where you can’t, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, ‘no, you move.’”

The rest of the funeral passes by in a blur and you send Sam to a nearby café to wait for you. Steve has promised Sharon he’d walk her to her hotel and you both sat waiting for her, not wanting Steve to be alone. You had your arm linked through his and your head leaning on his shoulder as you both stood in the church, lost in your memories. You both hear someone approaching behind you and turn to see Nat walking your way. You are still a little angry with her for choosing Tony’s side on the Accords, but you ignore it for the time being.

Steve looked at Nat and asked, “Who else signed?”

“Tony, Rhodey, Vision.” She answers plainly.

“Clint?” Steve questions.

“Says he’s retired.”

“Wanda?” you ask.

“TBD. I’m off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There’s plenty of room on the jet.” Nat replies, looking at you both with hope.

Steve sighs beside you and Nat continues, “Just because it’s the path of least resistance doesn’t mean it’s the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together.”

“What are we giving up to do it?” you ask her, wishing she’d see reason.

“I’m sorry Nat. We can’t sign it,” says Steve, truly sounding sorry.

“I know.” She answers, sounding like she believed him.

“Then what are you doing here?” you ask, questioning her motives.

“I didn’t want either of you to be alone.” She replies, before pulling you each into a hug. She stayed with you both for a while before she leaves, heading to Vienna. Sharon arrives soon after and she and Steve leave, heading back to her hotel to talk. You meet Sam at the café, a hot chocolate already waiting for you.

You slide into the seat across from him, ordering a croissant from the waiter who approaches you. Sam looks at you with concern and asks, “How are you doing?”

“Me? I’m fine, Sam. Any new leads on Bucky?”

Sam looks at you, unconvinced. “y/n, really. How are you?”

Your smile falters at his sincerity and you look at him with sadness. “I’m okay, I guess. Everything is just piling up. Losing Peggy, struggling to find Bucky, the Accords…” you trail off, interrupted by a breaking news report in Vienna. “Sam…” you trail off again, eyes glued to the screen.

Sam turns to look at the TV, Bucky’s face flashing on the screen as a suspect in the bombing at the Accords. Sam drops money onto the table, pulling you up from the table. “C’mon, we need to go tell Steve.”

You race down the street to Sharon’s nearby hotel, grateful that Sam chose a café that was close. You both rush through the front doors and spot Steve and Sharon near the elevators, waiting for its arrival. Sam reaches them first. “Steve. There’s something you gotta see.”

Steve takes one look at your pale face, in shock of what Bucky has done, and nods his head, looking concerned. Sharon escorts you all to her hotel room, switching on the TV as soon as you all arrive. The bombing is on every channel, shocking everyone around the world.

“A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna.” Sharon is on the phone behind you, pacing as she tries to get more information. “More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda’s King T’Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect, who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier.”

You tune out the rest, your stomach churning at the appearance of Bucky’s photo. You look up at Steve, not missing the clench in his jaw. For the first time in your life, you are scared of Bucky and what he is capable of. It is one thing to hear from Zola that Bucky had a hand in changing history, it’s another to see the evidence of it happening in real time. Sharon hangs up the phone and stands next to Steve, “I have to go to work.”

. . .

You arrive in Vienna by the afternoon after hitching a ride with Sharon. You, Steve, and Sam break off from her quickly, not wanting your presence to be known. You are all wearing ball caps and sunglasses, attempting to conceal your identity. Sam directs you to a coffee shop nearby, your stomach growling to remind you that you never got to eat. Steve decides to call Nat, tapping you into the line so that you can listen in.

“Are you alright?” he questions, concern in his voice.

“Uh yeah, thanks. I got lucky. I know how much Barnes means to you and y/n. I really do. Stay home. Both of you will only make this worse. For all of us. Please.” She begs, giving you a sense that she’s onto you.

“Are you saying you’ll arrest us?”

Nat replies, as if explaining to a child, “No. Someone will, if you interfere. That’s how it works now.”

“If he’s this far gone, Nat, we should be the ones to bring him in.” Steve replies

Confused, Nat asks, “Why?”

“Because we’re the ones least likely to die trying.” Steve replies, as if it were obvious. He hangs up the phone after that, walking to the counter to order a drink. You see him and Sam talking and stand to order another pastry when you see Sharon walking in the door. You all stand at the bar, not looking at each other and listening to Sharon.

“Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everybody thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of it’s noise. Except for this.” She slides a folder over to Steve, who pulls it in front of him casually. “My boss expects a briefing pretty much now, so that’s all the head start you’re gonna get.”

“Thank you,” Steve says, still not looking at her.

“You’re gonna have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight.” She says before pushing herself away from the counter and turning to leave.

You all leave separately, meeting at the plane that Sharon has arranged for all of you. The plane takes off towards your destination before anyone dares to speak. “Where are we going?” you ask.

“Bucharest,” Steve answers, maneuvering the plane in the sky. You look at Sam who raises his eyebrows and you shrug, settling back into your seat.

The flight to Bucharest is short, only taking about an hour. On the ride over, you all devised a plan. Sam would be on the roof, waiting and watching for the tactical team’s arrival. You and Steve would go inside the apartment and try to convince Bucky to come with you. None of you knew what state of mind Bucky would be in, so you planned to proceed cautiously.

You and Steve broke into the apartment easily, closing the door behind you and looking around. It was one room, stuffed to capacity with appliances and a mattress on the floor. Your heart hurt at the sight of the size.

“Steve,” you whispered. “It’s smaller than your place in Brooklyn was.”

Steve nods solemnly but doesn’t answer. You see him pick up a notebook on the nearby fridge and look inside, thumbing through the pages. You come up behind him and look over his shoulder, inhaling quickly when you see a newspaper clipping of you and Steve from when you both woke up 4 years ago. Ignoring Sam’s voice in your ear, you look up to gauge Steve’s reaction when something behind you catches your eye. You turn and see Bucky standing there in a red shirt, cap pulled low over his features. You reach up and squeeze Steve’s arm to get his attention, Bucky’s eyes following the movement of your hand.

Steve turns and sees Bucky, and asks, “Do you know us?”

Bucky looks at you both with a blank expression before answering, “You’re Steve. And you’re y/n. I read about you in a museum.”

Sam’s voice interrupts to say, “They set the perimeter.”

Steve looks at the notebook in his hand before setting it on the counter and stepping towards Bucky. You hang back, still unsure. “I know you’re nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be. But you’re lying.”

Bucky looks at Steve and then looks at you, holding your gaze as he says, “I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.”

The sincerity in his voice causes you to believe him, your gaze softening as you nod at him. Sam’s voice again interrupts, “They’re entering the building.”

Steve replies to Bucky, “Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they’re not planning on taking you alive.”

“That’s smart,” Bucky says, emotionless. “Good strategy.”

You hear footsteps overhead as Sam says, “They’re on the roof, I’m compromised.”

Steve says, “This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Buck.” You hear the approach of the team outside, preparing to enter the small apartment.

“It always ends in a fight,” Bucky replies, pulling the glove off of his metal hand.

“Five seconds,” comes Sam’s voice, anxious.

“You pulled me from the river. Why?” Steve asks, almost aggressively.

“I don’t know,” answers Bucky softly.

“Three seconds.” You ready yourself for the entry, standing away from the window.

Unconvinced, Steve counters, “yes, you do.”

“Breach! Breach! Breach!” sounds in your ear as a flashbang breaks through the window. Steve hits it with the shield as another lands at Bucky’s feet. Bucky kicks it to Steve, who covers the explosive with his shield, muting its effect.

You hear banging on the door as another flashbang flies through the 3rd window, and Bucky protects himself with the mattress before flipping the table to jam shut a door. Two men crash through the windows, one near you and one near Bucky. You see Bucky take out the man near him and notice the man near you raising his gun to aim at Bucky. You pull the rug from beneath him, causing him to fall and sending the bullets into the ceiling. One comes through the back door and knocks you to the ground, and Steve holds his gun as Bucky kicks him back outside.

“Buck, stop!” Steve exclaims, placing his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky ducks underneath his arm to pull himself free. “You’re gonna kill someone.”

Bucky pushes Steve to the ground and pulls back his arm like he’s going to punch him. Instead, his hand punctures the floor and produces a backpack. “I’m not gonna kill anyone,” answers Bucky.

He tosses the backpack out the window and onto the roof of the neighboring building. You stand and walk towards Bucky, and a man jumps through the window, aiming his gun at you. Bucky pulls you behind him and deflects the bullets with his arm, protecting both you and Steve. Steve pulls you both behind him to protect you from the bullets from a second man that has just appeared through the window. Bucky pushes you to the balcony outside, out of harms way. He flings Steve at one of the men, and you see Steve land on the balcony near you.

You look inside and see Bucky walking towards the other man, protecting himself with his metal arm. He slams him into nearby furniture, followed by a hit with a cinder block, sending him through the bathroom door. Steve is battling the man on the balcony so you stand and advance towards Bucky as shotgun shells blow chunks from the door. Bucky punches through the wall and knocks out a guard before kicking the door open towards a few others. You follow behind him, taking out the guards that advance towards you from the side. You look down the spiraling stairs to see a lot more men advancing towards you, and Bucky takes out a guard with the battering ram before using the limp body of a man on repel to skip a section of stairs and move down. He takes out two more guards as you hear someone on a radio near you, and you snatch it from his hands, crushing it under your boot. Steve runs out just then, leaping down a level to join Bucky. You opt to descend using the stairs, not a big fan of dramatic jumping.

You all 3 continue taking out guards and Steve catches one that Bucky throws over the railing, muttering, “c’mon, man.” You roll your eyes at both of them before kicking the guard near you and punching him unconscious. Bucky elbows a guard behind him, unbothered, as Steve pulls the man up and throws him to the wall. Bucky then grabs the railing and uses it to swing down, taking out more guards as he lands. You and Steve begin running after him, disarming and knocking out guards as fast as you can. A guard raises a gun to shoot Bucky when his back is turned, but Steve knocks him out with the shield. Bucky looks up at you both with a funny expression on his face before leaping over the rail and flying past the stairs, catching himself on the railing below with a yell. You and Steve run after him, knocking out guard after guard as you run down the stairs in pursuit. You and Steve finally reach a balcony and look over the edge to the neighboring roof, spotting Bucky in fight with a man in a black suit.

Steve backs up and says, “Sam, south west rooftop.”

“Who the hell’s the other guy?” questions Sam.

“About to find out,” Steve replies, looking back at you before running forward at full speed and jumping over the wall and onto the roof.

“Sam?” you question, knowing there was no way you were going to make that jump.

“Already on it, I’ll get you there.” Sam replies. You nod to yourself and take a deep breath, before running and leaping over the wall, flying towards the roof. Sam appears suddenly and grabs your outstretched hands, flying over the roof and dropping you onto it.

“Thanks, Sam.” You yell, running towards Steve who is watching the scene in front of you. A helicopter flies around the building, aiming at your rooftop, as Bucky holds a set of sharp claws away from his throat. Bullets ring out, hitting the unknown man and bouncing off as if they were nothing.

“Steve…” you trail off, both watching in awe. “Did you see that?”

“Sam.” Steve states, ignoring your question.

“Got him,” Sam replies, kicking the tail of the helicopter and spiraling them away.

Bucky manages to roll away from the unknown man and grabs his bag, running to the edge of the roof and leaping down. You are all in pursuit behind him, first the unknown man, then Steve, followed by you. They all leap down easily and you toss your rappel hook as you leap over the edge, lowering yourself to the ground quickly. You see Bucky up ahead as he leaps from the overpass and down into the tunnel of traffic below. You all run past the cars quickly, weaving between them and trying to catch Bucky.

You see Steve leap on the hood of a cop car in front of you, pulling the driver out and pausing long enough for you to jump inside, speeding of before you even close the door. He weaves in out of traffic easily, reminding you of Nat. You speed past the unknown man, and seconds later hear the telltale thud of him landing on the car. Steve looks into the sideview mirrors before he begins swerving back and forth, trying to knock the man loose.

“Sam, I can’t shake this guy,” states Steve, sounding annoyed.

“Right behind you,” replies Sam, entering the tunnel to assist.

You keep your eyes trained on Bucky, following his every move. You see him leap over a median made of barrels to avoid getting hit by police cars, and you point Steve into that direction. Bucky runs from underneath the tunnel, approaching a man on a motorbike. He slows as he grabs one handle, knocking the driver from his seat and swinging on. He drives forward, weaving in and out of traffic, and you and Steve follow, doing the same. You hear the man on the roof of the car and see him leap forwards, catapulting himself at Bucky. The bike falls sideways, Bucky’s metal hand the only thing keeping him from crashing, and he kicks the man off the bike as pushes himself upright. You see Sam fly past the car, the man holding onto him tightly. And as Bucky drives under the exit of the tunnel, he tosses up a grenade that sticks to the wall. Sams stops suddenly, sending the man flying. You see the wall crumbling and bail out of the car first, Steve following right behind you. You see Bucky and the man rolling on the ground ahead of you and Steve as you both attempt to outrun the flipping vehicle.

The masked man stands before Bucky gets a chance to and leans forward to attack, but you reach him in a second, knocking him to the ground. You roll away from each other and stand as police cars surround you on all sides. You start to step towards the masked man, but Steve puts out his arm to both you and Bucky to stop you. Men with guns begin bailing out of the cars around, raising their weapons, and a helicopter flies overhead. You hear the sound of propellers a spilt second before Rhodey lands in his War Machine suit, aiming guns at all four of you.

“Stand down, now.” Steve puts his shield on his back before lifting his hands in surrender, and you follow suit as Rhodey continues, “Congratulations, Cap and y/n. You’re criminals.”

You suppress the urge to roll your eyes at his dramatics, knowing that now was not the time. You look over at the masked man as your hands are forced behind your back, watching as he removes his helmet. You are shocked to see the face of T’Challa, king of Wakanda. You look at Steve and see that he wears a similar look of surprise.

“Your highness,” Rhodey says at his reveal, and you watch as T’Challa looks down at Bucky in anger.

You are all quickly loaded into the back of an armored truck, separated from Bucky. You had struggled when they dragged Bucky away from you, wanting to protect him. You managed to slip from your guard’s grasp and headbutt one of the 3 guards holding Bucky before you were knocked to the ground and held there, squirming with anger.

Bucky managed to speak to you before they dragged him away again, “See you down there, y/n.”

You froze immediately and looked at Bucky as they pulled him towards his transport, a familiar look in his eyes. That was the last thing he said to you before he ziplined down to the train to capture Zola. Tears welled up in your eyes and you smiled at him, hopeful that everything would be okay. And now you sat quietly in the truck as they transported you all to Berlin. The tension in the truck was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and as you finally traveled the streets of Berlin, Sam spoke.

“So, you like cats?” he questions T’Challa.

Steve cuts in, authority in his voice. “Sam.”

Sam questions back, trying to sound innocent. “What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, and you don’t wanna know more?”

Steve joins his questioning, asking, “Your suit…it’s vibranium?”

T’Challa glances over his shoulder slightly at Steve and Sam and replies, “The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you, as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?”

Steve looks annoyed and looks away, but you lunge forward in your seat, held back only by the extra chains they put on you. The guards didn’t trust you to stay calm. Steve shoots you a warning look at your movement, so instead you mutter, “He didn’t do it,” before leaning back in your seat.

The convoy of vehicles bumps along the roads now, before descending into and underground facility. They begin freeing everyone from the van, pausing before they release you, hesitant. “I’ll watch her,” Steve says, prompting them to undo your chains. You emerge from the van as they are taking Bucky away. Locked inside of a see-through cell that had who knows what kind of protections. Bucky makes eye contact with you and Steve, quickly looking away in defeat.

You kept your distance from T’Challa as you all walk towards an official looking group. Steve spoke up first, “What’s gonna happen to him?”

“Same thing that oughta happen to you, psychological evaluation and extradition.” Replies a short man, instantly pissing you off. Sam looks at you when you tense with anger, offering you a soft look and reminding you to calm down.

“This is Everett Ross, deputy task force commander,” says Sharon, introducing you to the short man.

“What about a lawyer,” asks Steve.

Ross laughs as he says, “Lawyer. That’s funny.”

Your blood begins to boil, full of hatred for this man you just met. You feel Steve touch your hand, another reminder to stay calm.

“See that their weapons are placed in lockup,” Ross says. “We’ll write you a receipt.”

He turns to leave and you all follow behind him, you and Steve turning to look at Bucky again. Ross and Sharon lead you down the hall informing you as he does, “You’ll be provided with an office, instead of a cell. Now do me a favor, stay in it?”

“I don’t intend on going anywhere,” says T’Challa.

Nat appears on the other side of Steve, muttering, “For the record, this is what making things worse looks like.”

You look around Steve and at Nat. “He’s alive,” you state plainly.

You are all led into a room, pausing as Tony finishes a phone call, emphasizing the words consequences. “Consequences?” questions Steve, as Tony approaches the three of you.

“Secretary Ross wants you all prosecuted. Had to give him something.” Tony replies, turning to try to fix the mess you had all created. You, Steve, and Sam are led to your glass office in the middle of the control room. You can see the video feed of Bucky, but you can’t hear anything through the thickness of the glass. Steve is asked into another office in a few moments to speak with Tony, and he asks you to join him.

“No, I can’t stand to listen to anything they have to say right now. I’ll stay here with Sam. I don’t trust myself to not lash out,” you reply in response to his request.

Steve nods and goes to the other glass encased office, and you watch his interaction with Tony. He seems calm at first and looks as though he is going to sign the Accords, an action that you certainly don’t approve of. The meeting ends before he does, Steve storming out and joining you and Sam again. You turn to look at Steve as he enters and then turn back to watch the feed of Bucky. “What did Tony want?”

Steve answers you with a sigh, He wanted me to sign the Accords to save our asses. And I almost did, until he told me that he has Wanda locked up at the Tower for ‘her safety’.”

You spin around in your chair to look at Steve in surprise, clenching your fists. “What?” you question, anger obvious in your voice. “That’s exactly why I didn’t go in there with you. I would have leapt across the table and made things worse.”

Steve doesn’t answer and instead you all turn your attention back to Bucky’s feed, trying to read the lips of the doctor in the room with him. Sharon wanders in and you glance at her as she hands Sam a piece of paper. “A receipt for your gear,” she says.

You watch as she wanders over to the control panel on the table and casually pushes a button, activating the sound in your glass enclosure.

“I’m not here to judge you,” claims the doctor. At the sound of the audio, Steve turns to look at Sharon, before turning back to the screen. You squeeze her hand in thanks. _She’s so much like Peggy._ "I just want to ask you a few questions,” continues the doctor.

“Do you know where you are, James?” Bucky leaves his question unanswered. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.”

Bucky finally speaks, stating firmly, “My name is Bucky.” You smile at his response.

“Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?” Steve suddenly questions.

Sharon answers, “Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?”

“Right.” States Steve. “It’s a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

You look up at Steve in realization of what he’s saying as Sharon asks, “You’re saying someone framed him to find him?”

Sam interjected, “Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.”

“We didn’t bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads,” answers Steve.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t guarantee that whoever framed him would get him out. It guarantees that we would.” Sharon replies, and something about what she said causes you to all look at the video feed in confusion, puzzle pieces clicking into place.

Within a moment, a power surge of some sort takes out all the lights, sending the room into darkness except for the emergency lights. Steve turns to look at Sharon as you and Sam stand. “Sub level five, east wing.”

You, Steve, and Sam run out of the office immediately, running towards the location Sharon gave you. You all go flying down the stairs quickly, slowing when you see the bodies of guards littering the room you have just arrived in. Steve checks them for a pulse, before he is distracted by the voice of the doctor.

“Help me,” he mutters weakly.

Steve advances on him quickly, anger in his stride. “Get up,” he demands, pulling the doctor to his feet. You walk in the room behind Steve, with Sam lingering behind you. Steve slams the doctor to the wall, “Who are you? What do you want?”

“To see an empire fall,” replies the doctor ominously.

They are interrupted by the sound of metal hitting concrete, and you turn to see Sam barely avoid a punch from Bucky. Sam punches Bucky back, only to receive a punch to the stomach. Bucky grabs Sam’s chin with his metal hand and pulls him forward flipping him against the cell.

“Sam!” you exclaim, and run towards Bucky, preparing to kick him. He catches your leg and flings you to the ground, though not with as much force as he usually would, but still with enough to hurt. Steve began fighting Bucky next, dodging punches and throwing a few of his own. Bucky kicks him through the doorway and you can see them fighting from where you landed, but you force yourself to focus and move closer to Sam to check on him. You pause when you hear the thud of Bucky’s fist on the elevator and turn just in time to see Steve thrown inside.

“Steve!” you yell, jumping up to run and check on him. You stop at the elevator doors and peer down, hearing Sam run after the doctor behind you. “Steve?”

You hear him groan before he yells out, “Go! Go stop Bucky! I’m fine!”

You nod and run up the stairs, trying to find Bucky before things get worse. Your feet land on the last step just as Tony, Sharon and Nat run by, so you run after the girls as they split off from Tony. They advance around behind Bucky and Tony is going to advance from the front. You watch as Tony attempts to stun Bucky, the effect not lasting long enough to really help. Bucky has a gun in his hand and raises it at Tony, but Tony blocks the shot with his Iron Man armor. Tony grabs the gun and removes the slide from the gun, making it unusable. He hits Bucky with the slide and Bucky elbows him in retaliation before delivering a punch that sends Tony flying.

Sharon runs up behind Bucky, kicking him, once and then twice and you see your opportunity to advance. You run forward as Bucky tries to punch Sharon but misses, and you deliver a kick to his chest. You go low and hit his side and Sharon immediate follows with a kick to his face. She swings around to kick him again but he grabs her leg and flips her onto a table. You grab onto his shoulder from behind and swing onto his shoulders, ramming your elbow down into his head as he walks you to a table, reminding you of fighting him on the highway two years ago. He slams you onto the table, his metal hand immediately wrapping around your throat. You squeeze your legs around his neck, trying to get him off.

“Bucky. Buck!” you manage to gasp out. “C’mon Buck, it’s me.”

He is thrown off of you by a kick from Nat, and you miss their interaction as you lay on the table, gasping for breath and shocked that Bucky nearly killed you. You look over as Nat is flung to a table and T’Challa runs over, taking over the fight for her. You see them fighting until they disappear from view, pretty evenly matched in skill. You roll over to see Bucky stalking up the stairs and fire a text to Steve, “The roof. Hurry!”

You roll off of the table, still gasping for breath as you run past a concerned Tony. “Are you okay?” he questions, but you wave him off, determined to save Bucky. You stumble up the stairs, trying to reach the roof as fast as possible and open the door as Bucky is attempting to take off, held back only by Steve gripping to the guard rail with every bit of strength he has. The helicopter abruptly turns towards Steve, crashing and nearly killing him. Bucky thrusts his metal arm through the glass and grips Steve’s throat, lifting him as he does. You can see the anger on Bucky’s face and it scares you. You run towards them as the helicopter begins sliding to the edge, watching in horror as Steve and Bucky both go over the edge.

“Bucky! Steve!” you scream, running to the edge and looking over. You don’t hesitate as you dive in after them, looking around as your head breaks the surface. You keep calling their names until you see Steve bob to the surface a few feet away from you, Bucky’s head on his shoulder. “Oh, thank god!”

You swim to the edge quickly and lift Bucky when Steve hands him to you. You pull him over the edge and collapse back with Bucky’s body on top of you, Steve collapsing next to you. You look at Steve and say, “We have to go. Sam is waiting with a car.”

Steve nods and carries Bucky to the car as you lead the way, checking for danger. Steve throws Bucky into the backseat with you, and you lay his head on your lap, stroking his hair. Steve jumps in the front and Sam floors it, leaving the compound behind. You ride to the warehouse in silence, glad that Steve had the foresight to find something abandoned on the ride to Berlin. Sam and Steve drag Bucky inside and sit him in a chair, his metal arm trapped between a hydraulic press in case he woke up as a trained assassin. Sam stood watch over Bucky while you and Steve conversed off to the side, peeking nervously at the helicopters in the area.

“Steve,” you begin. “I’ve been thinking about what Zola said a couple of years ago. He said that when history didn’t cooperate, they changed it. When he showed the photos of Howard and Fury, he showed a glimpse of the Winter Soldier file. Do you…?” you trail off, not even wanting to ask the question.

Steve looks at you, “I think so. I’ve been thinking about the same thing. Who better to make a death look like an accident than him?”

You nod, the gravity of this information weighing on you. “And JFK?” you ask.

“Probably.” He answers.

You are interrupted by Sam’s voice, “Hey, Cap, y/n.”

You both jog over to see Bucky waking up, groaning. “Steve. y/n.” Bucky mutters, and you smile softly.

Steve looks at him, unsure. “Which Bucky am I talking to?”

“Your mom’s name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes.” You giggle at Bucky’s answer, and you see Steve smile.

“Can’t read that in a museum,” he muses.

Sam seems less convinced, “Just like that and we’re supposed to be cool?”

You see worry spark on Bucky’s face as he asks, “What did I do?”

“Enough.” Steve replies.

Bucky seems upset when he says, “Oh, god. I knew this would happen. Everything Hydra put inside me is still three. All he had to do was say the goddamn words.”

“Who was he?” you question softly.

“I don’t know,” he replies, seeming bothered by it.

Steve shook his head and said, “People are dead. The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all of that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than I don’t know.”

Bucky thought for a minute and then says, “He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.”

“Why would he need to know that?” you asked, confused.

Bucky’s jaw sets before he answers, “Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier.” You all look at him in shock.

“Who were they?” questions Steve, arms crossed and frustrated.

“Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in Hydra history. And that was before the serum.”

Sam asks, “They all turn out like you?”

Bucky looks at him. “Worse.”

“The doctor,” asks Steve. “Could he control them?”

“Enough.”

You look at Steve and say, “He said he wanted to see an empire fall.”

Bucky speaks up behind you. “With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night, you’d never see them coming.”

Sam walks closer to you and Steve to say, “This would have been a lot easier a week ago.”

“If we call Tony…” begins Steve.

You cut him off, “No, he won’t believe us.”

“Even if he did…” trails off Steve.

“Who knows if the Accords would let him help,” finishes Sam.

“We’re on our own,” Steve says.

Sam shrugs, “Maybe not. I know a guy.”

An idea pops into your head and you say, “So do I.”

. . .

You sped down the highway, glancing up and seeing the exit sign for the airport just ahead. You left the warehouse before the boys did, volunteering to go pick up Clint, Wanda, and Scott Lang at an abandoned airfield. you hadn’t met Scott before, but he seemed nice enough. At this point, you needed all the help you could get. You drive and Wanda sits in the passenger seat next to you, Clint in the back with a sleeping Scott. You and Wanda chat for most of the drive, keeping conversation light and trying to distract yourself from the situation you were all in.

You arrive before the boys do and park the van, leaning back into the seat. You and Clint had gotten along quickly after discovering you had the same sense of humor. Your friendship with him only grew because of his closeness with Nat, and you often went with her when she visited Clint and his family. You and Wanda got along as well, although this experience had definitely brought you closer. You told her about your brother’s death to comfort her after she lost Pietro, and it had always bonded you two together.

You speak up, looking over at Wanda and glancing at Clint in the rearview mirror. “You know, you guys are going to be in a shit ton of trouble for siding with us.”

Clint laughs at your language and replies, “We can’t let you have all of the fun without us.”

You are interrupted by the boys pulling up in a beat-up beetle, and you laugh at the sight. You can see that they are all crammed inside comically. Wanda and Clint get out of the van to greet Steve, Sam, and Bucky, and you get out of the van a few moments later, missing Scott’s introduction to everyone else. You walk over and stand next to Bucky, leaning against him, and he puts his arm around you while smiling at you softly. “How the hell did you guys fit in this tin can?” you question, holding back laughter.

Bucky mock glares at you and replies, “We didn’t. That was the problem.”

You giggle at his response and ask, “Worse than hiding in my closet when my mom came home early from work and you weren’t supposed to be there?”

“Worse than that,” he laughs, remembering.

A voice rings out over the speakers, interrupting all of you. Bucky looks up to it as he listens, interpreting for all of us. “They’re evacuating the airport.”

Steve simply said, “Stark.”

“Stark?” questions Scott, confused on the details.

“Suit up,” Steve says, moving to grab his things. You and Bucky move to a corner of the parking garage, changing in front of each other with no shame. You pull your tight one piece over your body, buttoning it up over your chest. You heard Bucky whistle lowly and you look up at him with a smirk. “Clothing has come a long way since 1945.” He says appreciatively.

You laugh and say, “Focus, Buck. We gotta clear your name and then you can appreciate me in the suit. You have over 70 years to make up for, after all.”

“That’s true. Hey, don’t I owe you a ring or something?” Bucky questions, acting like he doesn’t remember.

Your face breaks out in a grin and he smiles at you knowingly as Steve walks up. “Are you two ready?” he asks, looking between you. You slide your last knife into its holster and nod and look over to see Bucky nodding as well. “No matter what happens, you two need to focus on getting Bucky to the jet to stop the doctor. I can handle anything that happens back here, so can the team, but it’s up to you to clear Bucky’s name.”

You nod, letting him know you understand. “Get into positions,” he says, and you hug him tightly when you walk by, not knowing what would happen. He hugs you back just as hard, and nods at Bucky as you both run over to Sam to get into your positions. Steve was going to confront Tony and try to talk him down from whatever he was going to do. You, Sam, and Bucky were going to find another aircraft to get everyone out. Sam sent out Redwing and you watched the screen over his shoulder as he scanned each hangar. You point at something on the corner of screen and Sam smiles at you, “That’s it.”

He comes over the radio this time and says, “We found it. Their quinjet’s in hangar five, north runway.” You, Bucky, and Sam all begin running through the terminal after Sam’s message, aware that the fighting was already beginning. You all advanced towards the 5th hangar, lightly jogging. A thud on the glass above causes all of you to look up and Bucky ask, “What the hell was that?”

“Everyone’s got a gimmick now.” Responds Sam, speeding up from a jog to a run. You and Bucky speed up behind him when you see Spiderman keeping up with you in the other side of the glass. Spiderman swings around and crashes through the glass, knocking Sam to the ground. Bucky stops and turns, pulling back his metal arm to punch him.

Spiderman catches Bucky’s arm and says, “You have a metal arm? That is awesome, dude.”

You run towards them now, knocking Spiderman over and delivering a kick to his ribs. He doubles over so you slam your elbow down onto his shoulder, forcing him towards the ground. You pull back your arm to punch him but he grabs your wrist at the last second, turning it out and causing you to cry out and sink to the ground in pain. He lets go of you when Sam runs at him, activating his wings and carrying him off. Spiderman somehow slips from Sam’s grip and flies back before connecting himself to Sam again with his webs. You and Bucky glance at each other and stand there, looking for a chance to help Sam.

Sam and Spiderman continue fighting in the air, and Bucky got tired of waiting. He threw a kiosk that he pulled from the ground, aiming at Spiderman. It flew back towards both of you, and Bucky wrapped his arms around you, shielding you from harm. You see Spiderman shoot Sam from the air and web him to the glass railing nearby, so you pulled yourself from Bucky’s arms before he could stop you and pulled a knife from your belt. You ran at Spiderman and tossed the knife, but he sensed it coming and moved from its path, shooting web to trap you next to Sam. You struggled against the binding, anger beginning to course through you.

“Is this stuff coming out of you?” questions Sam.

You hear Spiderman talking about Sam’s wings, but you ignore it, instead you continue to struggle against your binding. Sam interrupts him, “I don’t know if you’ve been in a fight before, but there’s usually not this much talking.”

“All right. Sorry. My bad.” Replies Spiderman before he swings towards you and Sam. Bucky jumps in front of you as he makes impact, and you all crash through the glass railing and land on the ground below. You groan as you roll over, ignoring Spiderman’s little speech, annoyed that he talks so much. You look up in time to see Redwing clasp onto Spiderman’s wrist and pull him through the glass and out the window.

Bucky speaks up, “You couldn’t have done that earlier?”

“I hate you,” answers Sam, and you giggle at them both.

“Play nice, boys. Bucky, catch,” you say, tossing Bucky a knife from your belt so that he can free himself and Sam. You all get up slowly, groaning a little as you do. You all continue jogging through the terminal, exiting in time to join the rest of your team running on the tarmac. You all stop suddenly when Vision uses his power to destroy the concrete in front of you, and you look up at him.

“Captain Rogers, I know you believe what you are doing is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now.”

The rest of their team joins up with them, and you all stand on the tarmac looking at each other. Teammate against teammate, friend against friend. “What do we do, Cap?”

“We fight,” replies Steve, as you all begin walking towards the other team, and then speed up to running.

You are running behind Bucky, a place where he purposely put you so that he could protect you. T’Challa tackled Bucky to the ground in front of you, then Rhodey shot you with a beanbag round, knocking you to the ground. You stayed on the ground gasping for a moment, trying to catch your breath. You rolled over and threw a knife from your belt, the impact distracting T’Challa long enough for Bucky to get in a few good punches. You leapt up as they were fighting, and looked around to see your friends fighting each other. You watched as Nat fought Clint and Steve fought Tony, and you felt your heart breaking at the mess you had all had a hand in creating. You looked over at Bucky again, and saw T’Challa advancing towards a fallen Bucky, claws out. You ran at him and used your entire body weight to knock him away, seconds before his claws reached Bucky’s throat. Wanda stepped in and lifted him away from you, throwing him into a nearby jet bridge.

You and Bucky stand up, checking each other out to make sure the other was okay. You run over to join Steve as he dropped a jet bridge on Spiderman. He nodded at both of you before running forward, ducking for cover to regroup for a moment. “We gotta go. That guy’s probably in Siberia by now,” says Bucky.

Steve looks up and replies, “We gotta draw out the flyers. I’ll take Vision, you two get to the jet.”

Sam chimes in, “No, you get to the jet! All three of you. The rest of us aren’t getting out of here.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, if we’re gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it,” says Clint. You look at Steve and he looks down, upset by this fact.

“This isn’t the real fight, Steve.” Replies Sam and Steve looks over to you and Bucky, making his decision.

“Alright, Sam. What’s the play?”

“We need a diversion. Something big.”

“I got something kinda big,” replies Scott, and you snort at the innuendo. “But I can’t hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half, don’t come back for me.”

You look over at Bucky and Steve, confused and Bucky asks, “He’s gonna tear himself in half?”

“You sure about this Scott?” questions Steve.

“I do it all the time. I mean once. In a lab, then I passed out.”

You all look over as Scott grows taller than the surrounding planes. You all look up at him in shock and you mutter, “I guess that’s the signal.”

You take off running for the Quinjet again, pushing yourself as fast as you can. You start to feel slightly relieved as it nears closer, trying to ignore the sounds of battle behind you. You look over and see the control tower of the terminal collapsing and you start to slow, but you all speed up again when you see it hovering in the air, held up by Wanda. You run underneath the collapsing tower, barely making it, only to stop when you see Nat walking towards you. This time, you push Bucky behind you, wanting to protect him.

“You’re not gonna stop,” she says, looking slightly disappointed.

“You know we can’t,” Steve replies.

“I’m gonna regret this,” Nat says with a sigh. Lifting her arm and aiming at Steve. Except, when she fires, it misses Steve and instead stops T’Challa. You all look back at Her in shock and she mutters, “Go.”

Steve nods at her and you climb into the jet behind Steve and Bucky, buckling in and preparing for takeoff. Steve shoots the remaining debris out of the way and maneuvers the Quinjet out of the hangar and into the sky. You glance out of the window on the passenger side and see Rhodey advancing and you turn to Steve anxiously and say, “Steve, punch it.”

He accelerates, putting distance between the Quinjet and Rhodey. You don’t know what happens but you see them all turn and fly in the opposite direction, leaving you to escape. You don’t question it further as Steve begins flying you to Siberia.

“What’s gonna happen to your friends?” questions Bucky, looking down at his hands in his lap.

Steve sighs and replies, “Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it.”

“I don’t know if I’m worth all this, Steve and y/n.”

You turn around in your seat and look at Bucky sharply. Steve glances back at him sadly and says, “What you did all those years, it wasn’t you. You didn’t have a choice.”

Bucky looks outside at the passing scenery and says, “I know. But I did it.”

The softness of his voice upsets you, and you unbuckle your harness and walk to the back of the jet, motioning for Bucky to follow. He unbuckles is seatbelt and follows you, sitting down on the bench beside you. You turn to look at him, but he avoids your eyes. “Bucky, we’re going to protect you from all of this.”

“That’s the problem, y/n. I don’t deserve to be protected. I don’t deserve you and Steve.”

You draw back slightly, not prepared for his response. Bucky had always been so sure of himself. You get up from your seat and kneel down in front of Bucky, grabbing his hands and forcing him to look at you. “Bucky, it doesn’t matter what you did in the past, it matters what you do in the future. Don’t let Hydra have this control over you, making you think you’re undeserving of me, or Steve, or anyone.”

Bucky looks at you with sadness. “I’m a monster,” he whispers, tears choking him up.

“No! You listen to me, James Buchanan Barnes. You are the love of my life, Steve’s best friend, and part of our trio. You are a prisoner of war, a victim. You are a lot of things, but you are not a monster. Do you hear me?”

You look at him with so much intensity that he tries to look away, but you place your hands on his cheeks. He looks at you again and you kiss him softly, pouring every ounce of love you have for him into the kiss. You pull back and rest your forehead on his, and whisper, “We’re gonna get out of this. We’re gonna clear your name and save our friends and go home. Me and Stevie are going to fill you in on the last 4 years of our lives, and we are going to have a feast for dinner and stay up until the sunrise.”

Bucky smiles at your words and pulls you into a kiss. You kiss him back happily and he pulls away a moment later to whisper, “Okay,” against your lips. Steve’s voice interrupts from the front, “We’re about to land, buckle up.”

You pull Bucky up and walk back to your seats, buckling in and descending safely onto the snowy terrain. You all move to the back, grabbing guns from Nat’s supply and standing at the door as it slowly lowers. Steve looks at you and Bucky and asks, “Do you remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?”

Bucky smiled a little and replies, “Was that the time you used our train money to buy hot dogs?”

Steve countered, “You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead. And y/n gave her money to a man asking for money to buy his daughter a pony for her birthday.”

“Hey,” you giggled in response. “I thought that if I couldn’t get a pony, at least someone else could!”

You all laughed and Bucky asked, “What was that redhead’s name again?”

“Dolores,” you responded. “Why, you gonna leave me for her?” you ask with a smirk.

Bucky laughed and said, “She’s gotta be a hundred years old right now, so no.”

Steve looked at him and squeezed his shoulder, “So are we, pal.”

Steve descended down the ramp first, followed by Bucky, and then you. You were on guard the minute your feet hit the snowy ground, looking around for any threats. Steve walks into the building cautiously, and you and Bucky follow behind. You all ride in a tiny elevator together, squished behind your two best friends in case something shot at you as the elevator stopped. Steve slid open the door and looked around, turning to nod at both of you to continue. Bucky led the way with his gun raised, followed by Steve with his raised shield. You brought up the rear with your gun lifted, responsible for watching your backs. You crept forward cautiously, eyes darting around the building. Bucky began ascending a set stairs with Steve on his heels when the sound of the elevator caused you to all spin around.

Steve pulled you backwards and put you between him and Bucky, shield raised to protect you. The elevator doors creaked open and you all prepared for a fight, expecting a group of enhanced soldiers with abilities like your own. Instead you were greeted by the glowing eyes and reactor of one Tony Stark.

“You seem a little defensive,” says Tony, as he advances towards you.

Steve moves towards him, leaving you and Bucky on the stairs with your guns still raised. “It’s been a long day.”

“At ease soldier, I’m not currently after you.” Tony quips to Bucky, but still your weapons stay raised.

“Then why are you here?” you question, anger in your voice.

“Could be your story’s not so crazy. Ross has no idea I’m here. I’d like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself.” Responds Tony calmly.

Steve halfheartedly jokes back, “Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork.” Steve lowers shield, “It’s good to see you, Tony.”

“You too, Cap.”

“Really, y/n? Manchurian candidate, you’re both killing me. There’s a truce here, you can drop it.” You and Bucky look at each other and then to Steve, who motions for you to lower your weapons. You both comply. You all continue moving through the building together, before finally wandering into a giant lab. Upon your entry, lights above what looked like tanks came on, illuminating what you assumed were the other super soldiers.

“If it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep,” rang out the voice of the doctor. You looked more closely into the tanks and noticed they all had a single gunshot wound to the head. “Did you really think I wanted more of you?”

Bucky muttered beside you, “What the hell?”

“I’m grateful to them though. They brought you here.” Continues the doctor, almost sadistically. A light comes on and illuminates the doctors face. Tony lifts his hand to shoot and Steve throws his shield, which bounces off and returns to him. “Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets.”

“I’m betting I could beat that,” remarks Tony.

“Oh, I’m sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you’d never know why you came.”

Steve stalks forwards, angry. “You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?” He reaches the glass and looks at the man inside. “You’re Sokovian, is that what this is about?”

“Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I’m here because I made a promise.”

Steve nods and looks at the man, “You lost someone?”

“I lost everyone. And so will you.” You see Steve turn from the doctor towards a video as the doctor continues, “An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That’s dead. Forever.”

You look at the man in confusion as you wander over to the video, stomach clenching when you recognize the tape. Tony moves forward to observe the screen and you inch towards Bucky, putting yourself between him and Tony. “I know that road. What is this?”

You watch Tony and Steve as they watch the tape, and you glance at Bucky. His jaw is set, but his eyes are full of shame. You glance at the screen and watch as Bucky punches Howard, killing him. You glance at Tony who is looking at Bucky in shock. You look back at the screen and see Bucky kill Tony’s mom, hand on her throat until she stops breathing. You see Tony shaking with emotion, but you aren’t sure if it’s rage or sorrow. The video ends with Bucky shooting out the camera, solidifying his identity to us. Tony turns and starts to lunge at Bucky and you plant yourself between them, gun raised. Steve grabs Tony’s arms and says, “No, Tony.”

Tony turns to Steve with his jaw set, “Did you know?”

“I didn’t know it was him.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Rogers. Did you know?” Tony forces out between clenched teeth.

“Yes.” Tony pulls his arm from Steve’s grip and turns to look at you, the same question in his eyes. You nod once, knowing that you owed him the truth. He looks away before turning and punching Steve, knocking him to the side. You raise your gun to shoot, but Tony shoots it out of your hand, the momentum pushing you aside. Bucky steps forward and begins to punch Tony, but Tony grabs his fist to stop him, before grabbing him by the neck and flying away. He lands away from you and Steve, and Tony steps onto Bucky’s arm, raising his arm to aim at Bucky's face. Steve throws his shield and distracts Tony, allowing you to jump up and run to Bucky. He knocks Steve away and you advance on Tony, smashing your elbow into his face. He grunts and tosses you to the side, before shooting cuffs on both you and Steve’s feet.

Tony and Bucky begin fighting again, and one of Tony’s shots misfires and hits the building near you and Steve. Debris is beginning to rain down when Steve smashes both cuffs with his shield, pulling you to your feet quickly. You watch as Tony and Bucky fall different directions, forced apart by falling debris, and you run to Bucky’s side. Steve looks at you and Bucky and yells, “Get out of here! y/n, go with him. Keep him safe!”

You nod at Steve and turn to Bucky, who grabs your hand and pulls you from the room. You both run to an adjacent room and Bucky hits a button on the wall, opening a hatch way above your heads. You both run to the nearby stairs, running and jumping between platforms, slowly ascending to the ground. You run and jump higher, seeing Tony flying towards you both. Bucky jumps on another platform just at Tony knocks into him, pushing him lower. He lifts his hand to shoot at Bucky, and you pull your gun from your holster and fire two rounds at his armor, knowing it won’t hurt him. Tony turns to look at you in shock, allowing Steve to knock him out of the way and down a few levels. “He’s, not gonna stop. Go!” Steve yells at you both.

Bucky reaches down and hoists you up, and you both continue platform jumping, nearing the white of the snow. You turn and see Steve pulling Tony down, both of them landing harshly, and you look above to see Bucky continuing to jump between platforms. You follow behind him, catching up, nearly to the top now. Bucky is just ahead of you, climbing the ladder to exit the hatch. Tony fires a shot that knocks out the hinge, catapulting Bucky backwards and onto a lower platform. You see Tony flying towards you again, and you pick up a nearby pipe, looking down at Bucky. “Buck, catch!”

He looks up and catches the pipe, turning and swinging it at Tony, who dodges it and grabs Bucky over his arms. You hear him whisper, “Do you even remember them?”

Bucky answers, “I remember all of them,” before pushing his feet off the wall and sending them both to the ground. Steve tackles them on the way down, knocking them all to the side, and you watch as they all fall. Bucky hits a platform a few feet up from the ground, but Steve and Tony fall all the way to the ground, rolling off the stone platform. You start scrambling down, still pretty near to the top. You see Tony fly towards Steve and catch glimpses of them fighting as you work your way to the ground as fast as you can. You watch Bucky grab Steve’s shield and jump towards Tony, smashing him on the back with it. You pause for a second, watching Steve and Bucky fight together, perfectly in sync. They toss the shield between them, throwing punches and blocking like they rehearsed it.

You begin scrambling down again when you see Steve get shot to the opposite wall and catch a glance of Bucky avoiding Tony’s advances, cornering him against the wall. You reach the ground as Bucky is digging his fingers into Tony’s reactor, trying to smash it with his metal hand. You watch in horror as Tony’s blows off Bucky’s arm and shoots him to the corner.

“NO!” you scream out, white hot rage taking over. You toss an explosive at Tony, knocking him off his feet and giving you time to advance on him. You pounce on him, pulling off his mask, punching your fists into his face over and over, watching your knuckles go red with blood, though you aren’t sure if it’s yours or Tony’s. You reach up to slam him with your elbow and Tony uses the opening to punch you hard in the face, the metal of his suit crunching against your bone. You clutch your face and he fires at you, sending you flying into the wall where your head lands with a crack. You hit the ground and lay there, unmoving, taking stock of your injuries.

You hear Tony and Steve begin to battle in your absence and you crawl over to Bucky, your vision slightly blurred. You reach Bucky and lay down next to him weakly, clutching onto him with whatever strength you could muster. You felt him reach over and grab Tony’s foot, causing Tony to turn and kick Bucky in the face. Steve grabbed Tony while his back is turned, throwing him onto the ground. He punches him a few times before slamming his shield into Tony’s reactor, stopping Tony’s defense. Steve rolls off of Tony and pulls out the shield before walking over to you and Bucky. He pulls Bucky to his feet and Bucky turns to help you up while Tony tells Steve, “That shield doesn’t belong to you. You don’t deserve it.”

Steve ignores him as helps you and Bucky out of the room, Bucky weak and you dazed. “My father made that shield!” yells out Tony, and Steve finally pauses. He seems to think for a moment before dropping the shield, pulling you and Bucky from the room. You somehow make it back to the jet, although you don’t remember the walk at all. You remember getting onto the bench in the back and instantly slipping into unconsciousness.

. . .

You wake up a few days later, the body heat of someone next to you making you sweat. You open your eyes and look to your right to see a sleeping Bucky next to you, snoring softly. You nudge him softly and he opens his eyes, blue eyes meeting your own. “Hi, sleepyhead,” you whisper.

“There’s my best girl,” Bucky replies, voice still groggy with sleep. “How do you feel?”

You pause for a moment and focus on your body before answering, “Good. Not much pain.”

He smiles as you softly, pleased to hear that. But you notice is face change into one of sadness. You reach up and rest your hand lightly on his cheek. “What is it, Bucky?”

“I was waiting for you to wake up before I did it, but I’m going back into cryo.”

You shake your head, tears welling up in your eyes. “No. No, Bucky. I’m not going to lose you again.”

He turns his head slightly to kiss your palm. “I’m not going anywhere, y/n. We’re safe here. But this is what I need to do until they can find out how to fix me.”

You think about his response before sitting up abruptly, looking around. “Wait, where is here exactly?”

“Wakanda,” Steve says, walking over to hug you.

“Stevie,” you say with a smile.

Steve turns to look at Bucky, “They’re ready for you.”

Bucky nods and helps you out of the bed, knowing that you wouldn’t let him go into cryo without watching. You all walk down the hall, your arms linked through Steve’s and Bucky’s. As soon as you all walk in the lab, they lead Bucky to a table to collect his vitals. You sit next to him, fingers threaded through his.

“You sure about this?” questions Steve.

“I can’t trust my own mind,” Bucky replies with a sad smile. “So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head, I think going back under is the best thing. For everybody.”

The nurse comes and nods at Bucky, signaling that it’s time. You turn to Bucky, tears spilling down your cheeks, and pull him into a tight hug, leaning back just enough to kiss him. He reaches up and wipes the tears from your cheeks, whispering, “I’ll see you down there.”

You smile at him, realizing that this was for the best. Steve hugs him when he stands, and moves to stand by your side as you step over to watch him enter the chamber. The doors slide up and he gives you both one more smile, closing his eyes and looking peaceful for the first time in a long time.

Steve takes you over to the window on your way back to your room, wanting to show you the view. You both stand together, looking out, admiring Wakanda. You turn to your left when you hear footsteps, looking up into T’Challa’s face.

“Thank you for this,” states Steve.

“Your friend and my father, they were both victims. If I can help one of them find peace…” he trails off.

“You know, if they find out he’s here, they’ll come for him.”

“Let them try,” answers T’Challa, looking out towards his kingdom. He looks at you and says, “We should get you back to your room.”

You nod, allowing him to take you back to your room, waving off Steve when he moves to help. “I’m okay, Stevie. Come visit me later.”

T’Challa looks at you as he helps you settle back in, “I have a few people that I would like you to meet when you are cleared. I think you’ll like them.”

“Thank you,” you reply, realizing you hadn’t said it yet. T’Challa nods at your thanks, uncomfortable, and turns to leave. You snuggle down into the sheets, closing your eyes and wondering what’s next for your troublemaking trio.

 

 

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhhhh, what did you think?! I hope you enjoyed it! I had so much fun writing this story and I would love to continue it with future films! There's also potential for me to write for the first 2 Avengers films or flashbacks with Steve and Bucky, if anyone is interested!


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